Angel
by mwang
Summary: After a freak accident, the herd finds themselves in a dangerous position: battiling the life and death of all of them. Will they survive? Read on to find out.  Not done yet! I couldn't end this so badly!
1. Chapter 1: First

The herd missed him. They all wanted to see Buck again. And, truth be told, he wanted to see them again.

"Manny, you think we should check in on him?" asked Ellie. "Who?" "Buck." "Oh. Yeah, I would say 'yes' but ah…Remember all the mortal peril? Think about the baby," he said, pointing out his mate's , Eddie, and Sid overheard their conversation, and pleaded to go. Peaches looked forward to it also (she was now 5), and finally, the mammoth gave in.

"But how will we get there exactly? He closed off the last entrance! Remember?" Diego smiled slyly, "Oh, I know a way."

"How…Much…Longer?" Panted Sid. They continued traveling in the downward spiraling cave. Up ahead, they saw a light. And then, the most spectacular view EVER. They all rushed forward, eager to breathe fresh air. But they realized all too soon that they were surrounded.

Buck heard the screams of the herd, and immediately recognized them. Eager to see his friends again, he caught a vine and hastily made his way over there before they died. Little did he know he'd soon lay down his life.

Peaches was trapped. On either side of her, a large dinosaur loomed, ready to squish or eat her. From the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a vaguely familiar figure: a weasel, to be exact. Just as he was about to reach her, there was the earsplitting sound of the earth cracking; and avalanche, and the whole herd was sent tumbling. Just when they thought it was over, after they all had many serious injuries, Buck glanced up in time to push his adopted niece out of the way of a falling rock. Unfortunately, it brought down a shower of smaller, but still deadly (to a weasel), rocks. And one happened to catch his head. The earth began to shake again, and before they knew it, the herd was looking down at themselves, battered and beaten, from…The sky.

All around them they saw wispy, fluffy, cool clouds. "This doesn't look like Dinotopia to me," said Manny. They looked down at themselves, and realized something very shocking: they were mildly transparent. They looked around and noticed a small, pretty human girl of about eleven years of age with dark brown hair and soft brown eyes. "Silly creatures," she said breezily, "You're not in Dinotopia." "Well...then where are we?" asked Ellie. "And how can you speak animal?" Manny looked at the girl suspiciously, remembering the bad things humans had done to him. She laid a hand on his trunk, and Manny realized something. She was different. In that musical voice of hers, the girl answered, "Heaven. Oh, and to answer your question, Manfred, since this IS Heaven, don't you think it's natural for all creatures to understand each other? After all, this is God's land. Well, Earth is too, but you know what I mean." they stared at her in dumbfounded shock. "EXSQUEEZE ME?" asked Sid. "Don't you remember?" she asked, her face darkening, "The ground, the avalanche, the fall?" They shook their head no. The smile was wiped off her face completely. "Oh dear..."she mumbled. Manny suddenly remembered Ellie's pregnancy. "W-What about Ellie, the-the baby?" "All your questions will be answered shortly," she said, then, to herself, "I hope." "What was that?" asked Diego. "Nothing. Right this way!" The girl turned and pointed to a golden path, which lead to the most magnificent structure they'd ever seen. "And don't think you won't ever see that place," the angel girl said to Peaches, "you aren't FULLY dead. Yet, I mean." "Yet?" asked Peaches, confused. "Yeah. Everyone dies eventually. 'Course, I can't tell you when you'll die, but it's far away from now. Trust me. "What's your name?" asked Eddie. "Parisa," she said. An accented voice from behind them said, "Meaning angel..." They all turned, and to their surprise, saw our favorite crazy weasel. "Buck?" breathed Manny. The weasel (strangely) looked shy. "Yeah...Long story. Well, not really, but ah...Well it pretty much intertwines with how you got here and…" The herd noticed that Buck was no longer missing an eye. Parisa looked at them fondly. "Come now, we mustn't waste time. "How old are you?" asked Crash, who personally thought the girl was beautiful. The girl spread her wings-wait, hold on WINGS? The herd gaped at her as she plucked a loose feather from one. They were so delicate, the feathers looked like the merest hint of a small breeze would send them everywhere like dandelion fluff, and the wings themselves looked too dainty to even think of touching. "Oh, just a couple hundred years. Nothing special." "Nothing special?" breathed the weasel. "Yeah," continued Parisa, " I've got a long ways to go before I end up like the Angel Gabriel. Now HE'S something. For an angel, I mean. The real deal is The Father. Now, you may have seen some amazing things in your life, but NOTHING, I repeat, NOTHING in this WHOLE wide universe can beat Him. No joke. After all, He did make it out of nothing." Buck nodded absently, taking in the scenery, "Count me out of any doubts I ever had." She flexed her wings, lifting off the ground for a second. "Well," she said, opening the grand doors of the building with some difficulty. "This is where we part. Take one good look at this 'cause the next time you see it, you really WILL be dead. At least for most of you. " She glanced at Buck, who wasn't as transparent as the rest of the animals, then at Manny, and finally at Peaches. And then she shut the door behind them.

The whole place was glowing. The walls were all the colors of the rainbow, and the floor looked like a mixture of all the precious metals and jewels in the world. From ahead, there was a bright light. They walked towards it. Suddenly, it became too bright to look at, and they shielded their eyes. "Hello," came a friendly, but deep and strong sounding voice. Whoever it was sounded wise; mysterious, thought Sid. Somehow they instantly knew who it was. The Big Guy.

"Uh…Hey," said Sid awkwardly. Manny punched him. The Big Guy (well, He WAS big, and He WAS a guy…) laughed. "Don't fret. You'll all be back on earth in good time. But I warn you, though you may say you despise each other, you might regret that. After all, one of you—depending on how you react—may not be with you for long." The herd glanced at each other, confused. "Goodbye," they heard Him say. And they felt themselves disintegrating.

"Ow…" groaned Sid. They all had at least a scratch. Manny was fretting over Ellie when he remembered Peaches. "Peaches!" he yelled, panicking. "Manny, just calm down," said Diego, rubbing his head. "PEACHES!" he screamed, ignoring Diego. "Daddy," came a muffled cry. They all ran to it.

Ellie ran to her daughter. Peaches had a scratch on her side, and a bruise on her cheek, but other than that, she remained unharmed. "Are you okay Peachie?" asked Manny worriedly. Before the five-year-old could answer, there came a muffled groan from behind a good-sized rock. Diego sprang onto the rock to see who it was. He gasped. No. Stinking. Way. "What?" asked Sid. He jumped off and landed on the side hidden from view from the herd. "You guys, help me get this rock off of him," said Diego, pushing against it. "Off of who—oh." "Buck? But…No way, he—he was—_is_ invincible!" cried Crash. The mammoths pushed it off the weasel's crushed arm. "Buck?" whispered Ellie in his ear. She gently touched the wound on his forehead, causing him to howl in pain. She looked worriedly at her mate. "That's not a good sign…is it?" asked Eddie. Sid shook his head. "Sid," ordered Manny, "if you're not too clumsy, get some wood and leaves. Diego, you go with him—make sure he doesn't get killed. "Ellie, can you carry him? We need to find some water. Sid! Diego! Never mind, stick close to us and find it on the way!"

Ellie did her best to place the weasel gently on her back. He whimpered, but nothing more. "Well," said Sid hopefully, "it could be worse! I mean, he could be dead. Or he could be stark raving mad and trying to kill us. Or we could all be having a seizure simultaneously. Or we could all be missing a limb. Or we could be beaches whales. Or we could be lost at sea. Or a Mule/Queen of Hearts hybrid could strangle us. Or we could be dead. Or one of us could be dead. Or Rudy—" "Sid," said Diego irritatedly, "don't jinx us." "Oh. Good point. Zip," the sloth made a motion across his lips, indicating he was zipping his lips. "Eddie, you stay with him. See how he's doing." Eddie crawled up and held his idol's not crushed paw gingerly.


	2. Chapter 2: Second

**Chapter two. I don't own nothing but this here story. Everything else...well it belongs to Blue sky Studios and 20th century fox. I bet you didn't know that. Enjoy.**

* * *

><p>About an hour later, Sid was waddling with his arms full of wood, bark and leaves, along with the few herbs and spices Ellie could identify, and Buck was still unconscious. So far they had managed NOT to get eaten by a plant, and had avoided a pack of raptor who were feasting hungrily on a dead carcass. Finally, a stream came within view. "You guys," said Diego, "we'll make camp here." "I just hope we don't get eaten," said Crash. Peaches yawned. "I'm hungry," she whined. "Yeah, me too," Sid stomped his foot like a little kid. "We all are," said Ellie, "but how are we going to find food without becoming food in this Hectic Paradise? Buck is our only chance of survival down here, and right now he needs us more than we need him. We need to figure out how to get back up before we get killed." They all nodded. "Well all the same, we can't starve. Crash, Eddie, come with me," said Diego. Ellie laid the injured passenger down. "Hey wait up guys!" called Sid. He tripped over Buck, who in turn hissed in pain and cringed. "Sid! Watch where you're going, I swear you're going to be our downfall someday!" cried Manny.<p>

Manny filled an empty, broken eggshell he'd found with water and held it to his friend's lips, hoping to get some fluids into him. "Ellie," he said in a low voice so Peaches wouldn't hear, "how are we going to get back up without getting killed?" Ellie cleaned the weasel's wounds with a spongy flower petal dipped in water. "I don't know, Manny. I was kind of hoping you knew…" "We could try to go back the way we came…" Buck mumbled something incomprehensible about mechanical wizards. "That seems to be our only hope." Out of nowhere, it started to rain. How it was raining under ground, we shall never know. But it was raining pretty hard.

They found a cave nearby—not too close to the river, lest it flood. Buck shifted in his sleep.

The last one to fall asleep, Diego lay near Buck. The weasel whimpered and murmured something that sounded like, "Get a fray, cat win." Diego raised an eyebrow, then shook his head. Buck made a sound that sounded like a frightened puppy, and then…. Sneezed. Three times in a row, to be exact. Diego scooted closer to Buck in order to keep him warm. There was a long silence, the only sounds heard were the pitter patter of rain, and Buck's ragged breathing. Just as Diego's eyelids started to get heavy, Buck gasped for breath very loudly. Diego, startled, looked over at his friend, only to find a distorted look of fear and pain written across his face. Not knowing what else to do, the saber (no, just to clear this up, Diego is NOT a talking sword!) put his paw on the far side of Buck and scootched him closer. The small mammal's fur was hot and damp. "Oh, Buck," whispered Diego, "why can't you just wake up and be fine? We need you. We'd have died last time without you, and we'll die this time without you." Buck's ear twitched. "Please."

Diego sighed. He looked down at his friend, who at the moment was looking very much like a lost, frightened, sickly kit. After about five minutes of rain and ragged breathing, the weasel coughed, startling Diego. His eyelid fluttered for a second. "Buck?" he asked hopefully. Buck sneezed again, and looked at Diego with his bloodshot, yellow-where-it-should-be-white eye. Pitiful. "How did this happen?" asked Diego, shaking his head. Buck sighed shakily. "A-a-aval-l-lanche…" he muttered. He coughed. Diego licked Buck's face with his sandpapery tongue. This is what it sounded like: LICK. Eeeewwwwwwww. THAT'S DISGUSTING, DIEGO!

Buck wiped off the spit, trying to look annoyed but failing desperately. Instead he looked like he was having a facial muscle spasm. Diego couldn't help but laugh. Buck continued to shiver. It was cold in the cave. All the wood having been wet, Sid hadn't been able to start a fire. "Buck, we need your help in getting to the top." Hugging himself to keep warm, the weasel scoffed (while shivering. It was very interesting to see/hear.), "Fat chance I'll do much good."

There was an awkward silence, during which Buck got so bored he fell asleep from boredom.

Diego figured he might as well sleep too. His friend twitched in his sleep. Diego wondered what he dreamed about. Hippos? Rudy? Skydiving pencil toppers?

Unless Diego could see inside Buck's head, he would have never guessed.

* * *

><p><strong>Review or Buck dies and Ellie loses her mind.<strong>

Buck: _No_! You wouldn't!

Me:_ Yes_! I would!

Ellie: But that's cruel! And...What about the baby?

Me: then hope and pray for some reviews.

Manny: REVIEW PLEASE!_ I BEG OF YOU_!

Parisan:*whispers to audience* (I doubt she'll go through with this)

Me:...Okay maybe not the Ellie part but the Buck part can be arranged.

Buck: (throws hands up in the air, exasperated) First you threaten me in Blink Back Tears and now _this_!Isn't it bad enough you give me a painful background story in both?**_ AND_** you crushed me with a rock in the first chapter!

Me: I need reviews. Badly.

Parisan: we can see that.


	3. Chapter 3: third

**_Hello, you awesome, fantastic, beautiful, breathtaking, grand, impressive, marvelous, wonderful, stupifying reviewers! I'm so happy that finally both of my (*cough* epic *cough*) stories have gotten up to SEVEN reviews! _**

* * *

><p>Also, for readers of BOTH my stories, I'm sooooooooooooo sorry if the characters have started to become...out of character. The ones that I don't own, I mean. Now for our regular disclaimer: If I owned any of this (besides my O.C.'S) I wouldn't writing a fan fiction, now would I? But I DO own My own characters so DON'T TRY TO STEAL THEM.<p>

* * *

><p>ANYWAY...<p>

* * *

><p>~-~ <strong>REALLY DRAMATIC FLASHBACKDREAM/THING** ~-~

Imagine this: A couple of weasels—obviously mated, with the female expecting (if you know what I mean, wink` wink) skating gently on a frozen sheet of ice. The female has silky; almond colored fur, and green eyes that always smile. The male has brown fur (with spots), and blue eyes. They look as if they are having the time of their lives. "I love you, Buck," whispers the female happily. "Right back atcha, Becky." In the middle of the ice, however, there is a hairline crack. They don't notice this. The female steps on it and the ground gives way beneath their feet. Both scream—

~ . ~ . ~ . ~.

Buck bolted upright, panting. He wiped sweat from his brow. The herd was asleep. He shook the remaining thoughts of his dream off. The past was past, right? Right. He didn't realize he was talking to himself until Ellie muttered, "Buck?" He silenced himself, hoping the she-mammoth would go back to bed. She did.

He looked down at his bad arm, then looked away, feeling nautious. He felt terrible. His whole body ached, he wanted to puke, and he couldn't touch his toes without crying out in pain. A flash of lighting illuminated his pale face.

Peaches whimpered. The thunder had roused her from her sleep. However, it had no effect on her parents (and especially not Sid. He very well could have been dead at the time. Who knows? Maybe he was.). She shivered. Buck sneezed and sat next to her, rubbing her head softly and absentmindedly. He twitched. _I must be really losing it_, he thought. He sighed. Peaches sniffed and snuggled up against him. He smiled softly, then frowned. How _was _he going to help them get back to the ice age? Obviously it couldn't be like last time—he couldn't even stand. For a brief moment the thought of the pterodactyl he, Crash, and Eddie had flown, but one look at Peaches and he immediately dismissed the thought. Mammoths couldn't fit on a pterodactyl. Especially not a fat one, like Manny. His thoughts drifted to things like the rats that used to raid his neighbor's kitchen while telling stories when he still lived in the ice age, and how they must have been planning on a party or something because one day he'd found the candles and paint missing, and he'd never found them. But that thought about his life "up-top" led to other, unpleasant thoughts, so he mentally changed the subject to Meatloaf Peppers.

~/\~ . . ~/\~

An unlikely figure glided across the lush landscape. Not one creature harmed it. Momma Dinosaur—the one that Sid had stolen eggs from—saw it. Lightning flashed, and she saw that the being was human-like, but then…Humans didn't have wings, did they? Human or Inhuman, the being hurried along, not paying any attention to the dangers around her. Rudy roared; whoever it was, they didn't seem to notice the menacing sound. It approached the mother dinosaur and her children. The three kids trembled in fear of the lighting and Rudy. The being—the _angel_ (Momma determined it as such)—lay a gentle hand on Yoko and all three silenced themselves.

* * *

><p><strong>Please review! I'll write a song for you if that's what it takes to get you to review! anyway so um um um um um um um um um u m yeah...<strong>

_**THAT'S ALL FOLKS!**_


	4. Chapter 4: fourth

**Yo yo yo, Agent Smart, AKA Mwang's co-partner, AKAKA Sarmichwakko is baaaaack! **

**Usual Disclaimer about owning everything EXCEPT the things that I don't own, which would be everything except...well actually I don't think I own anything except maybe the character in Buck's flashback...(chapter 3)..Oh wait! I own Parisa!**

**Parisa: hey. *waves***

* * *

><p>Morning light seeped through the foliage, crisp and clean after the previous night's rain. Ellie slowly opened her eyes and yawned. Everyone was there. Buck had moved from his previous spot to another wall in the cave. The weasel was sitting in a slouchy-kind of position, sleeping. Ellie cautiously creeped over to him (which is very hard for a mammoth to do, given their size) and felt his forehead. Hot, very hot. She poked him to see if he was completely unconscious or just asleep. He grumbled in his sleep and turned over, then winced when his arm was pushed up against the wall. "What is the circumference of a moose?" he mumbled. Ellie couldn't help but give a small smile. She was awfully hungry, and almost went out to search for food when she remembered the dangers of the weird world they were in. A small mouse darted by, not speaking. Ellie cringed when she heard a disgusting crunching sound and a small squeal, followed by a loud gulping noise. Nope, too dangerous to go alone. She would just have to wait for—No, she couldn't wait for Buck, not in the condition he was in. She glanced back at him. Buck as rambling under his breath. The female (despite the fact that it's rude to listen in on what people are saying) listened in. This required her to scoot closer to the weasel and strain her ears. "Getawaypleaznoyougotta…" his words were slurred, but they became more of a whimper than anything else, "You gotta live." Ellie frowned sadly. The one eyed member of the herd grew silent. The only sounds heard were the sounds of the underground world outside coming to life, and the sound of soft breathing and snoring.<p>

_"You've been Assigned to the unorthodox herd of Ice Age mammals that came through here not too long ago." _The words echoed through Parisa's mind. It was too good to be true. She thought she'd never get a real Assignment, but now…now she had a goal. Something else to strive for. Finally she wasn't just a 'Young-One'. FINALLY she could say, "Yeah, I'm a Guardian Angel now." Instead of just the usual, "Oh, I show the newbies around, and such, and such."

Instead of just ***poofing*** to the herd, Parisa felt like enjoying the day, making her way easily through the jungle. But something (or someone) told her that she better walk fast, or else fail her first Assignment.

The herd began to slowly wake up. Ellie watched as first Diego, then the twins, then Manny, and finally Sid woke up. Buck and Peaches continued to doze.

Well, Manny was feeling very irritable. You see, all he'd wanted to do was get his herd safely down to Dino-Land and pay a quick visit to Buck. THEN, they'd faced a near death experience. THEN Buck was left in no condition to help them get back up to the Ice Age. AND last night it had rained. AND his mate and child had been in danger. AND Buck hadn't—no, he reminded himself, he'd saved Peach's life. But that didn't calm him down because as we all know Manny is quick tempered anyway. So after they'd eaten a small breakfast of fruits (which Diego had reluctantly eaten a small portion of), and the other two members of the herd made no movements to wake up, Manny unleashed all his irritable attitude on (you guessed it) Buck.

He shook the poor creature awake. "Hey, Diesel Weasel, this isn't some tropical getaway, wake up and, if you don't mind…. GET US OUT OF THIS HECKISH PARADISE!"

Buck was fully awake now. It wasn't just Manny's yelling, but the searing pain that shot through his body as the mammoth furiously shook him. He winced, biting back tears. "Manny! Stop it!" scolded Ellie. At long last, the unwelcome movement stopped. Buck exhaled and gritted his teeth. "Well, excuse _me_ for—" "YEAH! YOU BETTER GET EXCUSED BECAUSE LEAVING US HERE STRANDED IS NOT AN OPTION!" Buck cringed. "WELL? ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE ANY PLANS TO HELP US?" Buck rolled his eye and said (with a hint of sarcasm), "No, of course not." Sid and Manny were taken aback. Everyone else heard the sarcasm. "What?" asked Sid and Manny simultaneously. "But- but-" sputtered Manny. Buck barely hid a smirk. "But Bu-u-ck! You're are friend! Our only hope! You just gotta help us!" whined Sid. Buck shot a glance at Ellie, his expression clearly saying, "Is this guy serious?"

Manny started hyperventilating again. "Buck! You've got to help us! You're our only hope! Our last chance! Without you….we'll….we'll die! You can't just abandon us! Think of everything we've been through!" Buck raised an eyebrow. "You know, if you think about it, it hasn't been very much." "But- you- you—You just have to!" Buck waved a finger. "What's the magic word?" he said in a sing-song voice. "Please?" Buck scratched his chin. "Please…" "Please, oh gracious leader of the ferocious beasts!" said Crash. Buck stifled a laugh. Laughing hurt too much. He sighed instead. "Maybe…"

Diego could tell Buck wasn't just playing with them. He was stalling for time. Everyone (except Manny, apparently) knew he was in no condition to go out swinging from vines and dodging dinosaurs. His friend obviously didn't want to admit that he just couldn't help them—that, if anything, _they_ needed to help _him._ "Manny," said Diego pointedly, "Look at him. Look at him without just seeing insanity and fur. He can't help us! If anything—" Buck coughed harshly, shooting Diego a warning glance. Diego lowered his voice so only the mammoth could hear. "If anything, we need to help him. He can't even STAND without leaning on someone, let alone save you from another man-eating plant." Manny frowned and looked at the weasel. He was smiling weakly as Eddie told the rest of the herd a story about how he and Crash had done some weird thing to Sid. Now that Manny got a good look at him, he realized that Buck really _was_ in terrible condition. His face was pale; his fur was damp; and that arm. UGH, that ARM. It really was quite a sight. Bent at a slightly odd angle and, although bandaged, kind of…No, I won't describe it. Some of you have weak stomachs. Manny suddenly felt guilty for treating him so harshly. Maybe he shouldn't have woken him up to begin with. The small mammal exhausted, frail, and decrepit. Perhaps Diego was right—Buck _couldn't_ help them. Not to a certain degree, at least.

* * *

><p>Hours later<p>

**Buck's P. O. V.**

It was evening, and the herd and I were huddled around a small fire Sid had started. They were telling stories of their lives, and I knew it was only a matter of time before someone asked the dreaded question.

Crash told an astonishingly stupid joke, and (for his sake), I forced a weak smile on my face, despite the fact that I didn't feel much better than I had in the morning. Sid was munching hungrily on one of the fruits I'd helped them find despite the excruciating pain that standing brought to my head. I picked at my own food, nibbling on it once in a while. "…And then Diego was like, 'RAWWWRRRRR!' and then, ha-ha, I really thought he was going to eat me then but, of course Diego would never eat me, would you, old buddy, old pal?" rambled Sid. Diego rolled his eyes. "Like I said, Sloth, I don't eat junk food." I sighed loud enough for Peaches (who had taken liberty of sitting next to me, on "the throne of coolness" as she called it) to hear. She looked at me, and I sighed while doing a funny little wiggly thing with my shoulders. She giggled, and Ellie smiled at me. I tried to smile back, but I had a feeling it looked more like a grimace.

"So that's how me and Diego became best buddies, right?" asked Sid. Typical clueless-ness. Diego shook his head, most likely thinking, 'He'll never get it.' "Sid, when I met you, you were NOT surrounded by girls. You were surrounded by a fat mammoth and a smelly human baby." "I'm not fat!" protested Manny. "Right, and I've got two eyes," I joked. Manny glared at me; not that I cared in the least.

"Well, how did you get down here in the first place?" he asked. If my face wasn't already pale, I'm pretty sure it would've paled right about then. I chose my words very carefully. "I fell." "Fell?" "Aye. On thin ice." "An eye on thin ice? EW!" Sometimes I forget how incredibly dumb those two marsupials are. I ignored them. "How did you survive the fall?" asked Manny skeptically. "I got lucky. That, and I may have fallen on some leaves…" "Were you alone?" asked Sid. I paused for a moment. "You're technically never alone." Manny scoffed. "What's THAT supposed to mean?" "Well, I would think that after that _incident_ not too long ago, you would have a _little_ faith in God," I said. He fell silent. "Hey, who wants to play twenty questions?" asked Sid. _Crud, _I thought. "I do, I do!" chirped Peaches. "Okay. I get to go first. Uh…Diego, do you purr?" "No," the saber said. "Okay, Tigey Wigey, you're turn!" clapped the sloth. "Uh, okay then. Manny, how much do you weigh?" Without even turning my head, I could sense the mammoth boiling in anger. "I AM NOT FAT! OKAY, YOU ALL JUST GET THAT INTO YOU'RE PEA-SIZED BRAINS, OKAY? HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU: MY. FUR. IS. POOFY!" I heard someone tsk-tsking behind me; I turned my head to see who it was—no one was there. Strange.

"Anyway," continued Manny, regaining his composure, " I want a straight answer, Buck." My mouth felt dry all of a sudden. "BESIDES the whole 'Jesus is with you everywhere' thing, was there or was there not some body with you when you came down here?" I swallowed and didn't answer for a second or two. "Hello? Any body home?" I sighed. "Yes."

The herd processed that for a minute. "Who was it?" asked Manny. "Yes or no questions only," I mumbled. "Was it a sibling?" he asked. "No." "Mother or father?" "No…" Manny gasped. "A _mate_." Manny took my uncomfortable silence as a yes. "What happened to her? Oh wait—uh, let's see…" I bit my lip hard, ignoring the tangy taste of blood. Ellie looked at me, probably checking to see if I was especially uneasy about this topic (which I was, but I tried to hide that). "Was she murdered?" I looked at him, eyebrows raised with an expression that obviously said, "What goes on in your head, fellow?" "Okay, okay. So she wasn't murdered…" "You know, if you would pay attention to what I say at all, you could have had the answer ten minutes ago and we wouldn't even be having this conversation," I interjected. "What do you mean?" "…Oh, nothing, really," I mumbled.

Suddenly, an astounding and deafening roar filled our ears.

_Rudy,_ we all thought. I knew for sure that I was the only one thinking, _My friend, you have absolutely impeccable timing._

Rudy, of all persons, places or things, was the one to deliver me from a sticky situation.


	5. Chapter 5: And fifth encounters

**What? Whenever I think of paranormal activity, I laugh. So I changed it. I own nothing so kay bye**

* * *

><p>Some say there is a third eye. This "eye", some say, is your mind's eye. Others argue, it's different- - it's your eye for dreaming, or whatever.<p>

And then there is that subconsious state of mind we all know and love. Half conscious, half unconscious (like that girl in your math class)- how ever you may want to explain it.

But neither of these really describe how Buck felt. What he saw. What he heard.

It didn't hurt as much as it should have. Oh yes, it hurt like the dickens (or as some say, like the chickens), it pushed him down onto the verge of unconsciousness- that cliff that beckoned him to sleep...Maybe forever. He felt the pain, the agony, but it flickered. For a moment, someone jostled him and he cried out, and then it was gone, all gone- _he_ was gone.

And then he was back.

To aching. To piercing, biting, fiery pain.

And he stayed in our realm for excruciating hours; subconsciously overhearing conversation, catching glimpses of his worried friends.

_Friends!_

And as the sun began to set ever so slowly, Buck felt as if he were in two different places at once. He found the pain becoming an overall, dull ache. It was an odd sensation; not unpleasant, but odd. He could see Manny, and Ellie, and Diego, but not clearly...and there was someone else, too...a stranger...

_Maybe I've finally, truly lost it._

And a gentle, male voice chuckled, clear as day, _Oh no, Buckminster. You haven't _truly_ lost it._

He saw a man, a human, but this one wasn't like the rest. He wasn't ugly and pale and disgusting like the humans Buck had seen. He was...pretty, and didn't have that cruel spark in his eyes that said, "I want to eat you and rip your guts out." In fact, this man sparkled; glowed.

It was as if he were looking at...at...


	6. Chapter 6: THE END AT LAST

**Hey, so I don't own Ice Age.**

**BSS and 20th cent. fox does**

**Also, I'm going to get flamed so badly for this horrible ending...But I couldn't write this story any more. I'm sorry. And I had to end it somehow...**

* * *

><p>"OMG," cried Buck, sitting up in bed.<p>

"WHAT?!" asked Peaches who had magically turned into a teenager overnight.

"I HAD A VISION!" the insane weasel cried.

"WHOA, AWESOME! WHAT WAS IT ABOUT?"

"I SAW JESUS! I think."

"COOLIO!"

Suddenly there was a distant rumble and the whole world exploded and the whole herd landed on the moon but then they bounced back to earth which was now a gigantic meatball the size of Mars.

"WOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOO," yodeled Granny.

"Wait, Granny? How did you get here?" yelled Sid.

"I teleported. Y'all better learn 'cause there ain't no more cars."

"?"

"I see into the future," she explained.

"Cool, what's my future?" asked Eddie.

"How should I know, you lemon?"

The end


	7. Chapter 7: PSYCH! sixth encounters

**AHHHAHHAHAHAHAHA YOU THOUGHT I ENDED IT LIKE THAT!**

**whew, you should have seen the look on your face!**

**Hey, so I don't own Ice Age.**

**BSS and 20th cent. fox does**

* * *

><p>Recap:<p>

_It was as if he were looking at...at..._

At Jesus.

And as soon as this thought entered Buck's mind, everything went dark. Unlike the previous times when he had been unconscious, this one was sweet. No pain, no suffering- nothing.

Sweet solitude.

And yet, he didn't feel lonely, knowing that somewhere, out there, someone cared for him.

* * *

><p>Twice now Parisa had taken a wrong turn and had had to double back. What was going on? This shouldn't be happening- she had studied the land from above until she had memorized it's countless paths and became familiar with it's inhabitants. Something was wrong; she could feel it in the tips of her wings (not sure how that works, but we've all got our instincts), the uneasy sensation growing in the pit of her stomach. Perhaps this wasn't the time to enjoy the scenery.<p>

Parisa halted, letting the dangers around her disappear. In an instant, she was gone, leaving only a white feather and a few confused butterflies in her wake.

* * *

><p>"Is he dead?" cried Eddie.<p>

"I think he's dead!" yelped Crash.

"He's not dead," said Diego, slowly approaching the limp body of Buck, though a seed of doubt-of fear- had planted itself in the back of his head, swiftly growing into a sprout, a shoot, a plant.

Peaches whimpered as the wind howled outside the cave and whipped pieces of thick moss off the entrance and thrust them at the child, who stood near the entrance. Ellie wrapped her trunk around her daughter, pulling her away and nervously eyed the icy sky, which was now turning an apocalyptic orange.

"What's going on?" she murmured.

"That's what I was thinking!" exclaimed a small, feminine voice. Ellie swiftly turned her head to the left-most part of the cave entrance to find a soaking wet Parisa wringing out the ends of her white robe. "Never once have I landed in a pond, and my sense of direction has never been so poor!" She continued, mostly to herself.

"Parisa?"

"Yes, ma'm?" the angel said politely, looking up to meet Ellie's worried eyes. The look of Parisa's soft brown eyes brought her comfort, and she found the courage to ask her question.

"Will we be okay?"

Parisa smiled, her pristine white teeth glittering as lightning flashed in the distance.

"Of course, Ellie," she said softly.

"Who are you talking to, Ellie?" asked Manny.

Ellie turned to look at Parisa, but the way-older-than-she-really-looks-and-its-kind-of-unnerving angel was gone.

Or so she thought.

* * *

><p>"He's not dead," whispered Diego as he grew closer.<p>

"No, he's not."

Diego whipped his head back, and later swore he'd seen, if only for a split second, the really-friendly-little-angel-who's-actually-really-old with that small reassuring smile she usually wore.

Diego stood above Buck, silent, and heard the faintest trace of breathing. He exhaled- Buck wasn't dead.

Yet.


	8. Chapter 8: The end is near

**This story shouldn't have more than one, two or three more chapters. Thanks KaylaDestroyer, Buckrocks, AL, goldenpuon, and tigey wigey for reviewing this story!**

**Ah, yes, Parisa has returned. All's well that ends well, eh?**

**No, I fear not.**

**I don't own Ice Age!**

**Oh! So I made a Fictionpress account (sarmichwakko) and I'd really really really be really really happy if you checked out my story** Ashes of Promises**... Obviously I can't make you...But please...If you have a moment and you're on ...Guess who will love you forever if you review her story?**

**...**

**No more delays! Read on!**

* * *

><p>By the end of the week, all the members of the herd had made miraculous recoveries. Though he still walked with a limp, well, at least Buck could walk. And talk. Unfortunately, this would be a totally cheesy and unbelievably stupid story if<p>

a) he was FULLY recovered, and

b) the herd was magically out of the woods, so to speak.

Nope, no-sir-ee, there was lots of trouble to come. I may as well add some foreshadowing to his story, so I'll give you a little clue: Rudy was out for blood and Parisa had a growing sense of foreboding.

* * *

><p>Rudy wasn't the only danger out there, oh no. There was something far more dangerous on the prowl, something dark, old, and mysterious. Something that hadn't stirred for centuries, perhaps since the dawn of time. He sensed something, something good and pure. He was hungry, and he thirsted for blood, and it was dark. Now was the time to strike- oh, how he despised the light! With a hacking cough, the formidable being rose, shaking dust and plants off of it's scaly back as it did so.<p>

The creature (it can only be described as such for the moment) flicked it's dry tongue, using it to sniff the air.

_Water._

Water was life. Simple as that.

A prehistoric bird screeched and flew off at the sight of it. Had Rudy been that deep into the valley, he too would have felt a cold shiver down his spine. The creature chuckled, a truly terrifying sound that sounded like rocks grinding together and splitting apart.

He would get the angel, or the child, no difference. He would finally regain his throne as the most feared. Something he had not had for a millenia, or two...So long that he/it could not even remember.

He was hungry...Very, very hungry.

Even hungrier than Katniss Everdeen. (Now is when you say, "I see what you did there!" unless you didn't see what I did there...Which would make me kind of sad...)

Yes, I suppose this is all a bit melodramatic, but hey, I'm just the narrator; go blame the dinosaur...thing.

Anywho, perhaps we ought to check on Parisa and the herd, eh? So we shall.

Just as Parisa had begun to ponder whether or not this whole mission ordeal was over, our beloved weasel threw her for another loop. The herd was preparing to go back to the world of snow, and Parisa was wondering if she should go back to the Big House yet when Buck collapsed. Parisa had been keeping a close eye on him in case of something like this, so it could have come to her as MORE of a shock than it did. I mean, yeah if someone randomly keels over in the jungle and falls unconscious, you're going to be a little surprised whether of not you're prepared for it.

Seeing as there was no one else around at the moment, the angel checked his pulse hurriedly and held a slender hand beneath his nose to check for breathing. No heartbeat. Buck let out one final puff ofair before his lungs gave up the effort. Immediately and without thinking, Parisa tilted his head back and blew air into his lungs. She touched his chest with delicate, flitting fingers and pressed down, mumbling a prayer beneath her breath.

An onlooking dino swore he saw silver sparks fall from her fingertips. He later had a heart attack.

Buck's heart was beating again, but he was struggling to breathe. Parisa's blood ran cold at the feeling that coursed through her veins when her fingers brushed the weasel's shoulder. After another short prayer (in Latin, I might add) and a flurry of sparks that jolted the hermit back into breathing, she unfurled her wings and flew off with him, much like a flying monkey carrying Dorothy off to the Wicked Witch. A very pretty, graceful flying monkey that flew more like a bird that a monkey, but still. You get the picture. Actually, that wasn't a very good description- those monkeys were terrifying and flew like refrigerators with feathers glued on. Forget I said anything.

She dropped the unconscious weasel mercifully onto Sid's sleeping figure and was off again, the tropical wind ruffling her feathers.

_I can make it in time,_ She thought, while the butterflies' wings whispered_, "Hurry, hurry,hurry."_


End file.
